FF brings largest political youth event in the country to Athlone this weekend

Ireland’s largest young political movement, Ógra Fianna Fáil, will once again cross the Shannon to hold its National Youth Conference which brings over 500 delegates, members and supporters together to discuss the theme, Change In Action.

Taking place at the Hodson Bay Hotel, Athlone, Co. Roscommon from the 9-10th March, the Fianna Fáil National Youth Conference will enable young people from the four corners of Ireland discuss the issues that are affecting them and their peers and to listen to expert opinion on housing, education, health and many other hot topics.

The event, being hosted at the South Roscommon Hotel, was secured following a vote at last year’s Ard Fheis in Dublin where Roscommon Ógra members won the backing of members ahead of two other bids from Connaught units.

Outgoing Uachtarán Ógra, James Doyle commented:

“Our Guest of Honour will be Uachtarán Fhianna Fáil, Micheál Martin TD who cut his political teeth in Ógra in the early 1980s. Joining the Party Leader will be a number of Front Bench Spokespeople and members of the Parliamentary Party.

“We are thrilled that Ireland’s first female Government Minister since Constance Markievicz, former EU Commissioner and all-round trail blazer, Máire Geogheann Quinn will lead a discussion on the 100th anniversary of women’s’ suffrage.

“From outside the party, young members will hear from DCU Professor and former ESRI Economist Edgar Morgenroth (Prof Economics DCU & formerly of ESRI), Dr Mark Smyth, a clinical psychologist who has written extensively on the effects of social media on mental health.

“While debate, policy, politics and elections will dominate the weekend, it wouldn’t be a youth event if there wasn’t a high level of socialising and fun. Many members of our current Parliamentary Party remember their first Ógra Youth Conference, and I am confident that many future parliamentarians will experience their first taste of national politics this weekend in Athlone,” concluded Doyle.